Asian Boyz Gang Associate from Lowell Convicted of Drug Trafficking

BOSTON – An associate of the Asian Boyz gang was convicted on Friday following a five-day jury trial for his role in a distribution network of homemade methamphetamine pills, branded as “Adderall.”

Richard Nguyen, a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Cheeseburger,” 30, of Lowell, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Feb. 26, 2026. Nguyen was arrested and charged in January 2025.

In 2021, an investigation began into the Asian Boyz gang to disrupt the manufacturing and distribution of substantial quantities of methamphetamine pills impacting the City of Lowell. Nguyen was part of the large drug distribution network that profited from the sale of thousands of these counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine. Between March 2022 and January 2025, Nguyen and other defendants sold counterfeit Adderall pills to undercover officers and cooperating witnesses working with law enforcement on 47 different occasions.

Evidence presented at trial established that Nguyen sold counterfeit Adderall pills to a cooperating witness at least three times between January 2024 and April 2024. Each time, Nguyen directed the cooperating witness to meet him at his home to conduct the deal, on a back porch covered with a tarp and accessible only from a narrow alleyway. Nguyen negotiated the deals with the cooperating witness using an Instagram account, “Cheese.” He gave the cooperating witness a price of $0.80 per pill, explaining that he could only get the pills for $0.70 per pill, and that he had to “make [his] dollar.” During the first deal on his back porch, Nguyen sold the cooperating witness approximately 1,000 pills. During the next two deals, Nguyen sold the cooperating witness twice as much – approximately 2,000 pills each time.

The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Superintendent Greg C. Hudon of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica, Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fred M. Wyshak, III and Brendan D. O’Shea of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/PSN.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.